A searing July heatwave. Four bodies.
When corpses begin turning up in abandoned County Durham coal mines, police detective Tony Milburn is pulled into a chilling mystery. All four dead within four days but can Saint Cuthbert’s ancient curse really be the cause?
Durham’s iconic Miners’ Gala suffers a bizarre disruption and, amid the chaos, several high value artefacts are stolen.
As the caseload heats up, the Major Crimes Team is understaffed and under pressure. Aided by the enigmatic surfer, Penfold, but suffering the obsessive attentions of DC Diane Meredith, Milburn comes up against his toughest investigation yet.
The fourth Penfold mystery novel digs deep into the north-east’s heritage, as long-buried church secrets and the legacy of coal intertwine in Saint Cuthbert’s Curse.
What did I think?
I love this series that is set in my local area so I was delighted to see a new book in the Penfold Mysteries. Saint Cuthbert's Curse is the fourth book of the fantastic series that is set in Durham and I have somehow missed book three so I will be sure to rectify that omission. You can of course read it as a standalone as it has its own self-contained plot as well as characters from the earlier books.
The plotting is razor-sharp and the writing is breathtakingly descriptive so, although I do know the various locations in the book, it's very easy to imagine walking the streets of Durham with DS Milburn and his Holmes-like friend Penfold. They certainly need their wits about them when investigating this case.
The Miners' Gala is a huge event in Durham's calendar and it is beautifully depicted. I loved the intertwining of our coal history and Saint Cuthbert's treasure. Durham Cathedral is also incredibly vividly described so you feel as if you are right there amongst the action. Although the story is fiction, it's always good to read about real places and streets that you know or can look up on the internet.
Incredibly gripping, sharp and clever, Saint Cuthbert's Curse is a fantastic crime novel in an unmissable series. A very highly recommended read.
I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
About the author:
Miles Hudson loves words and ideas.
He’s a physics teacher, surfer, author, hockey player, inventor, backpacker and idler.
Miles was born in Minneapolis but has lived in Durham in northern England for more than 35 years.
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